France's Upgraded Mirage Jets Give Ukraine Advanced Attack Capabilities

26 Ukrainians pilots have already completed the first course of their training on the jets, which are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2025.

The upgrades France is reported to have included make these aircraft extremely dangerous weapons. JL

Thomas Newdick reports in The Drive Warzone:

The Mirage 2000-5F introduced the RDY radar, a mechanically scanned pulse-Doppler type with look-down/shoot-down capability. The newer system can track more targets simultaneously — up to eight — and also has some air-to-ground functionality — which is likely critical for the enhancements planned for Ukraine. It prioritizes and then displays to the pilot the eight highest-priority threats. The new radar is combined with a much-modernized cockpit, including three multifunction color displays. The Mirage 2000s will first be outfitted with new electronic self-defense equipment.

France has announced details of its plans to put surplus Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters into Ukrainian hands, with these jets receiving new air-to-ground capabilities ahead of planned deliveries starting in the first quarter of 2025. The delta-winged jet is set to become the second Western-made fighter to be provided to Kyiv, following the F-16, the first of which arrived in Ukraine this summer.

 

In a statement on X today, the French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu added that the Mirage 2000s will first be outfitted with new electronic self-defense equipment as well as undisclosed modifications that will allow them to fly air-to-ground missions. That work will be conducted at Cazaux in southwest France. Meanwhile, the training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics continues, Lecornu said.

As TWZ reported at the time, in June of this year French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to transfer an undisclosed number of Mirage 2000-5 fighters to Ukraine, outlining “a new cooperation” with manufacturer Dassault.

 

When rumors of secondhand Mirage 2000s being provided to Ukraine first emerged, it was unclear if the aircraft in question were the more modern Mirage 2000-5F versions currently operated by that service, or the older Mirage 2000C variants, the last of which were retired in June 2022, as you can read about here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) is welcomed by French Minister of Defense Sebastien Lecornu (right) upon his arrival at the Paris Orly airport, on February 8, 2023. Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images JULIEN DE ROSA

While converted from Mirage 2000Cs, the Mirage 2000-5Fs are more capable, albeit also almost entirely restricted to air-to-air operations, at least in their basic form.

Most importantly, the Mirage 2000-5F introduced the RDY radar, a mechanically scanned pulse-Doppler type with look-down/shoot-down capability. Compared to the RDM and RDI radar in the Mirage 2000C, the newer system can track more targets simultaneously — up to eight — and also has some air-to-ground functionality — which is likely critical for the enhancements planned for Ukraine. The new radar is combined with a much-modernized cockpit, including three multifunction color displays.

The standard weapons for the air defense Mirage 2000-5F are from the MICA family of beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, with either radar-homing or infrared seeker heads.

 

It’s unclear what air-to-ground munitions will be added after the upgrade work, but there are two very obvious options. First is the stealthy SCALP-EG cruise missile, which has been integrated on other Mirage 2000 versions and which is already used by Ukrainian Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft. Another option is the Hammer rocket-assisted precision-guided bomb. While the Hammer is not known to have been integrated on the Mirage 2000 previously, the French-made weapon is also used by Ukraine, with France having promised to deliver significant numbers.

 

The new electronic self-defense equipment promised to Ukraine may well consist of the ICMS Mk 2 system which, includes radar warning receivers, jammers, and chaff and flare dispensers, all of which are mounted internally. This is found on export Mirage 2000-5s, but French Air Force jets use an older and less-capable system. Meanwhile, the definitive Mirage 2000-9 for export has the ICMS Mk 3, which is fully digital, and might also be an option for Ukraine. Its capabilities include prioritizing and then displaying to the pilot the eight highest-priority threats. The F-16s that have been delivered to Ukraine also sport a robust electronic warfare suite, which you can learn more about here and in the video below.

While former French Air Force Mirage 2000-5Fs seem the most likely candidates to be delivered to Ukraine, Lecornu today only mentioned “Mirage 2000s,” while Macron spoke of “Mirage 2000-5s.” It’s possible that France has attempted to acquire Mirage 2000-5s from Greece, Qatar, or even Taiwan, the export operators of this version.

Afterburner takeoff for a Greek Mirage 2000-5. Hellenic Air Force Afterburner take-off for a Hellenic Air Force Mirage 2000-5EG. Hellenic Air Force

Greece recently announced plans to retire at least some of its Mirage 2000-5s, while the Qatari Mirage 2000-5 fleet has been retired for some time now and has been repeatedly connected with different customers, including contractor red air providers, although no firm orders have been placed. With a Mirage upgrade program underway and a huge requirement for air defense fighters, Taiwan is unlikely to want to offload any of its jets.

Bearing in mind the current timeline, however, it seems likely that the aircraft will be drawn from French Air Force stocks, which will leave the service short of air defense fighters, at least until more Dassault Rafales are delivered. Currently, around 30 Mirage 2000-5Fs are based at Luxeuil in France, with a detachment in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

A Mirage 2000-5F takes off from Luxeuil Air Base, in Saint-Sauveur, eastern France, on March 13, 2022. Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images SEBASTIEN BOZON

France might also have some additional Mirage 2000-5Fs in storage that it could send to Ukraine, or which it could use to backfill its own inventory. In all, 37 Mirage 2000Cs were updated to 2000-5F standard, although the fleet has been depleted through attrition.

As to how soon Ukraine might be able to employ the Mirage in combat, this will depend primarily upon the progress of the pilots and mechanics now being trained on the aircraft. Reports in the French media state that the country has agreed to train an initial 26 Ukrainian pilots. Last month, the French Armed Forces announced that the first cohort of pilots had completed Alpha Jet training in France. Although it’s not clear if these aviators will progress to the F-16 or the Mirage, the latter now makes a lot of sense.

A Ukrainian pilot trainee (left) and a French military instructor (right) prepare to take off in an Alpha Jet, at an air base in southwest France on June 14, 2024. Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

Interestingly, photos from the graduation ceremony for the first cadre of Ukrainian pilots trained in France revealed at least two Alpha Jets operated by the private contractor Top Aces. It’s not clear if the company, best known for red air support, is also helping train those pilots or if its aircraft were in France for adversary duties.

While the possibility of France transferring fighters to Ukraine was first raised in early 2023, it has been a long time coming, reflecting many of the same hurdles faced by the F-16 transfer plan. That is now starting to yield more results, however, with the recent announcement that the first F-16s supplied by the Netherlands have begun to reach that country, joining the initial aircraft delivered by Denmark. Previously, the Netherlands had delivered F-16s to the training center in Romania, where they are used for converting Ukrainian pilots.

Once the Mirages arrive in Ukraine, they will provide a very welcome boost to the country’s air defense and standoff strike capabilities. Demonstrating the ability to operate two different Western-made fighters may also help pave the way to additional, and other types of NATO-standard combat aircraft making their way to Ukraine, too.